Author and journalist Oliver Burkeman joins Nihal for an in-depth chat. They discuss the character traits required in a political leader and what is an 'insecure overachiever'? Nihal Arthanayake presents his new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and pol…

Comedy legend and SAS: Who Dares Wins veteran, Shazia Mirza, joins Nihal for an in-depth chat. They talk Oasis, growing up as a Muslim woman and how unphased she was by the SAS. Nihal Arthanayake presents his new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and po…

Mr Swallow star, Nick Mohammed, joins Nihal for an in-depth conversation. They discuss life after Ted Lasso, his career in investment banking, and working with David Schwimmer. Nihal Arthanayake presents his new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and pol…

Writer and self-styled cat lady, Dawn O'Porter, joins Nihal for an in-depth chat. They discuss fame, friendship and keeping kids safe on social media. Nihal Arthanayake presents his new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and politics.…

Best-selling author Adam Kay joins Nihal for an in-depth conversation. They discuss becoming a Dad, being a Jewish man in the current climate, and the homogeneity of med school. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and…

Gold medal winning rower Helen Glover joins Nihal for an in-depth discussion. She talks about family, success and whether or not she'll be there in LA. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and politics.…

Classical music sensation, Alexis Ffrench, joins Nihal for an in-depth conversation. They discuss hitting a billion streams, the discipline of his upbringing, and Stevie Wonder. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and…

The fastest British woman in history, Dina Asher-Smith, joins Nihal for an in-depth conversation. The pair discuss Paris, where she gets her competitive edge and a burgeoning interest in fashion. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, …

Best-selling author Candice Brathwaite joins Nihal for an in-depth interview. They talk manifesting, social mobility and private education. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and politics.…

Fresh Prince actor Jimmy Akingbola joins Nihal for an in-depth conversation. The pair discuss working with Will Smith, growing up in care, and processing loss. Headliners is Nihal Arthanayake's new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews with headline guests across entertainment, sport, culture and politics.…

Nihal Arthanayake speaks to actor Cush Jumbo, his second guest in his new Sunday evening show and podcast, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews. Over the course of the conversation, Cush talks about the experience of watching her father being stopped by Police as a child, being turned down work at a well-known department store for her dreadlocks…

Nihal Arthanayake speaks to Stewart Lee, his first guest in a new series of Headliners, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews. Over the course of the conversation, Stewart touches on fatherhood and the joy of a profession that allows him to remain immature. He talks about the importance of an economy that supports creativity, finding a new audien…

Iconic sports presenter and author Gabby Logan on some of her career highlights and covering some of sports biggest events. She has just released a new book called “The Midpoint Plan,” inspired by her successful podcast called “The Midpoint Plan podcast,” talking about making the most of midlife, with insights from health experts. She also reflects…

‘Forever’ is Bon Jovi’s 18th album. The one and only Jon Bon Jovi told Nihal Arthanayake about writing the new album, the secrets of a long and successful marriage, how he hopes to be able to sing live again after having surgery on his vocal chords two years ago, and being an unashamed optimist.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Satirical comedian, Michael Spicer, known for going viral and gaining millions of views online thanks to his iconic satirical show, The Room next door, chats to Johnny I’Anson about his journey through comedy. He talks about the state of politics in the past few years to the issues of today.He talks about his constant quest for new and unique conte…

‘If there’s something really good that entices you and you want to have the emotion of the people sitting around you, those are the reasons that cinema is going to be there for a long time’ Jerry Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer most known for producing action-packed and explosive blockbusters including the ‘Pirates of the Ca…

Toby Kebbell on his breakthrough role in Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes, and working with huge industry names like Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, M. Night Shyamalan, Guy Ritchie, Val Kilmer and Robert Redford to name but a fraction. “There’s no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.” Toby also gets into all the skills he’s learned for roles …

"An honour to be a part of these young people’s lives". Five-time Chortle-award winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean speaks to Nihal Arthanayake about her new show ‘Peacock’, which is based on how she and her partner became foster carers.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Radio genius Richard Bacon is back on the 5 Live airwaves for the latest Headliners slot – so will there yet be a return of the Special Half Hour, 15 years on? A radio mastermind and no slouch in the TV department either, the pair also delve into Richard’s TV production credits both sides of the Atlantic, and discuss how his ADHD diagnosis and near…

Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson shot to fame in Hollywood in Bridesmaids and the Pitch Perfect trilogy, where she played a character called "Fat Amy”. She has just released her autobiography, ‘Rebel Rising’, charting her course to fame. She also dives deep into her personal and private life, documenting her struggles with weight, roman…

'I'm not a victim, I call myself a survivor' Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra, discusses how he was sexually abused aged 13, and why he's now working with the UN and WHO to ensure other children grow up in a world free of violence and abuse. He also reflects on his time at Manchester United, his early life growing up as one of 24 sib…

“When I arrived at the hospital they thought it might already be too late” The Booker Prize-winning author, Sir Salman Rushdie speaks to Nihal. He is one of most famous and most celebrated authors of our time. And in August 2022 he was stabbed on stage in New York. Sir Salman said he is using his new book, ‘Knife’, as a way of fighting back against…

Comedian Helen Lederer on evolving attitudes toward neurodiversity, how alternative comedy has developed since the 1980s, and how her definition of happiness changes with age. Helen and Gordon also get into social media and entertainers' relationships with reviews, working with great comedians like Harry Enfield, and why her candid new memoir Not T…

Comedian Jason Byrne on varying degrees of honesty from family and different audiences, the list of eccentricities he’s noticed of his Scottish and Irish fans he’s met from world tours, his new show for Edinburgh Festival, and how his late father’s wisdom has helped shape an award-winning one-man play. The pair also get into Jason trying to connect…

Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Adepitan (now an honorary Scotsman according to Gordon!) reflects on his life and career. Particularly on his surreal experience of visiting an all-white South-African community of Orania for a documentary, and the life-affirming, outlook-changing feat of spending nearly seven hours crawling to the peak of live volc…

Actor Danny Mays on working with Michael Douglas on new period drama Franklin and the process of auditioning for and being offered the part of Ed Bancroft. Danny talks through all the different wigs wardrobe had him try on, “One of which I thought I looked like my nan, Molly!”, and living in Paris during filming. The pair also get into being bother…

“What does being in the establishment actually mean?” He’s the best-selling author and screenwriter famous for his Alex Rider series. ‘Close to Death’ is the fifth instalment of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Hawthorne and Horowitz’ series, in which he appears as a character. He told Nihal Arthanayake all about it, whether or not he thinks he’s in the “establ…

“In that second my life changed”. Broadcaster and DJ Adele Roberts was in the best shape of her life when she found out she had bowel cancer in October 2021. Suddenly she was plunged into the world of cancer treatment, including having a stoma. Less than two years later Adele crossed the finish line of the London Marathon in her best ever time, als…

"The food I was eating was linked to my behaviour". He kept us fit during lockdown with his PE with Joe sessions on YouTube. Now Joe Wicks has a new book out. He told Nihal Arthanayake all about it.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

I’m used to doing scary things”. Film and stage actor Gillian Anderson - best known for her roles in The X Files, Sex Education and The Crown – speaks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest role is as Emily Maitlis in the Netflix film ‘Scoop’ - a dramatisation of the BBC Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew.…

He’s best known for playing Doctor Who, a young Prince Phillip in The Crown, and Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon. Now Matt Smith is starring in a new production of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. And has he ever thought about teaming up with some of his celeb friends to buy Blackburn Rovers, a club he has loved since his was a lad?…

“Whatever I’ve experienced doesn’t need to define me”.DJ and producer Jax Jones talks to Nihal Arthanayake about making music with the likes of Raye, mentoring, and why he’s not sure he wants to reconnect with his biological father.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Olympic gold medallist diver Tom Daley on his return to the sport after two years out, looking ahead to his fifth Olympic Games in Paris this summer, how his adorable six-year-old son behaves like a ‘pushy parent’ during competition, and finding a balance between regimented training and enjoying himself. Tom also gets into his passion for knitting,…

“I relish being myself, even if it is the complete opposite of everyone else” Singer, actress and Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo chats to Nihal Arthanayake about her new film ‘Drift’ and her upcoming role as Elphaba in the Hollywood blockbuster film version of the ‘Wicked’ musical.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Screenwriter and novelist Daisy Goodwin joins Gordon Smart as the two turn their attention to the subject of Daisy’s new book Diva; the infamous Maria Callas. The pair discuss the opera sensation’s career, life and legacy, and why she remains a huge inspiration to modern women. Born in 1923, Maria was “what you might call a girl boss today, she alw…

In May 1997, Eric Cantona stunned Manchester United and their fans by announcing his retirement from football at the age of 30. Alongside the 82 goals he scored for them, he’s remembered for the now infamous kung-fu kick he aimed at a Crystal Palace fan who racially abused him. His post-football career has taken in acting, painting, writing poetry …

BAFTA-winning Glaswegian actor Tony Curran on learning about the real King James I, shooting intimate, nude scenes, and working with Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine for new show Mary & George. Tony and Gordon also get into some hilarious stories of their mutual pal, Martin Compston, plus Tony’s career-high roles including his turn as Vincent …

“I’m not telling them how you should think about John Galliano […] it’s a very complex picture that emerges”Award winning director Kevin Macdonald chats to Nihal Arthanayake about his new documentary ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ – that examines the designer’s rapid ascent, fall from grace after an antisemitic tirade, and rehabilitation…

The platinum selling artist tells Nihal Arthanayake about her love of animals and how it has inspired her series of books for young adults.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Comedian and writer Frank Skinner on unexpected signs of ageing, nicknames, bringing back shouting at cinema screens, graffiti he’s seen on his tour posters, and why he doesn’t run his stand up material by anyone before he performs.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

“The more important the issue the less it is discussed.” The Vermont Senator talks to Nihal Arthanayake about the future of capitalism - and offers his thoughts on the upcoming presidential election.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Nihal Arthanayake chats to the CEO of Timpsons about his new book ‘The Happy Index’ and why he believes his employees’ wellbeing is the secret to running a successful company.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

“I didn’t watch the [Oscars] announcements, because I didn’t want to have to repair any screen damage if the news wasn’t to my liking!” American actor Jeffrey Wright talks to Nihal about his new film ‘American Fiction’ and explains how it feels to get an Oscar nomination.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

“Movie stars, sadly, are a dying breed”.Matthew Vaughn, director, producer, and writer - known for the Kingsman franchise, KickAss, and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - is back with a new movie - a spy action comedy film called Argylle.He tells Nihal Arthanayake that he thinks that times are changing in the movie industry - and you can no long…

'I just really enjoyed the idea of this tiny, dishevelled, half pint Luther....popping about the place trying to solve crimes.' Actor Adeel Akhtar talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his role as DS Sami Kierce in the new smash hit Netflix show 'Fool Me Once'.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

‘It’s about progress not perfection’Dr Rangan Chatterjee talks to Nihal Arthanayale about keeping a journal, things to be grateful for, and how to make every day just a little bit better.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

“Just when I thought I knew where it was going, and what kind of a show it was, it would just do a one-eighty” - Actor Jamie Dornan in conversation with Nihal Arthanayake about the new series of The Tourist and his lifelong love for Manchester United.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

Someone like me can't turn down a part like Charles. He's so interesting. He's so complex.”Dominic West, who played Prince Charles in the last two seasons of The Crown, and Jonathan Pryce who portrayed Prince Philip – tell Nihal Arthanayake about the success of the show, how they prepared for their respective roles, and where they were when they le…

“When do I tell them I can’t swim”. The award winning film, tv and stage actor Sheridan Smith, talks to Nihal Arthanayake about being a parent, her new role in a show about being cast away on a desert island, and why she never learned to swim.Av BBC Radio 5 Live

“The experience for women and men in music is very, very different” The singer talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her successful musical career, and using her voice to speak out about exploitation in the music industry.Av BBC Radio 5 Live